Game program, game controlling method, and information processing apparatus

ABSTRACT

A game program causes a computer to set, if it is determined that a point based on a first action of the character of each of an own player and another player is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, a specific period from a time when an instruction to input a second action has been first accepted from the own player or the other player as a cooperation accepting period, to accept the instruction to input the second action up to a maximum number of times set for each cooperation player from a cooperation player other than the player who has instructed input of the second action, among the own player and the other player, during the cooperation accepting period, and to vary an effect of the second action in accordance with the number of times of the instruction to input the second action.

PRIORITY

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S.application Ser. No. 15/224,732, filed Aug. 1, 2016, and entitled “GAMEPROGRAM, GAME CONTROLLING METHOD, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS”,the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present invention relates to a game program, a game controllingmethod, and an information processing apparatus.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, games provided to mobile terminals via communicationnetworks have included “battle games.” In such a battle game, multipleplayers who may each operate a mobile terminal cooperatively fightagainst an enemy character. In a multiplayer battle game, a specialskill of a character may be activated, and heavy damage may be done tothe enemy character, or a friend character in the same group may beaffected (for example, the skill may cause recovery of a hit point (HP)of a friend character). A special skill may be activated in response toan input operation of one player in the group.

For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.2014-233637 describes a battle game in which a raid battle is performed.In the raid battle, a player battles against an enemy character incooperation with other players. In the raid battle in the multiplayerbattle game, if the amount of points given to a specific player from theother players is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, anattack having a power corresponding to the point is made to the enemycharacter in response to an instruction from the specific player.

However, since a special skill is activated in response to an inputoperation of only one player in the multiplayer battle game in therelated art, it is not possible to reflect the intentions of cooperationor agreement of the other players to the activation of the special skillin the magnitude of the effect of the special skill. In addition, forexample, the players individually enhance their skills in order to varythe magnitude of the effect of the special skill. Accordingly, anindividual player has no option but to make an effort in order togreatly vary the effect of the skill. No mechanism is provided in whichan individual player greatly varies the effect of the skill incooperation with the other players in the same group.

SUMMARY

In order to resolve the above problems, according to an exemplaryembodiment, a game program, a game controlling method, and aninformation processing apparatus capable of reflecting the intentions ofcooperation or agreement of other players to activation of a specialaction in the effect of the special action may be provided.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a gameprogram may cause a computer that includes a storage unit and thatprovides a game to execute storing a point in the storage unit on thebasis of a first action of a character of each of an own player andanother player, the first action being performed in accordance withinput instructions from the own player and the other player; determiningwhether the point stored in the storage unit is greater than or equal toa predetermined value; setting, if the determining determines that thepoint is greater than or equal to the predetermined value, a specificperiod from a time when an instruction to input a second action has beenfirst accepted from the own player or the other player as a cooperationaccepting period; accepting the instruction to input the second actionup to a maximum number of times set for each cooperation player from acooperation player other than the player who has instructed input of thesecond action, among the own player and the other player, during thecooperation accepting period; and varying an effect of the second actionin accordance with the number of times of the instruction to input thesecond action accepted from the cooperation player. The computer may beany computer capable of executing the above steps; for example, thecomputer may be a mobile terminal, a stationary terminal, or a server.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the game program may cause thecomputer to further execute varying the effect of the second action inaccordance with an attained period from a time when the game has beenstarted to a time when the point has been determined to be greater orequal to the predetermined value.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the game program may cause thecomputer to further execute displaying an operation button to activatethe second action only during the cooperation accepting period.According to an exemplary embodiment, an operation to input the secondaction accepted during the cooperation accepting period may be anoperation to select the operation button.

According to an exemplary embodiment, in the game program, a displaymode of the operation button may be varied depending on the attainedperiod in the displaying.

According to an exemplary embodiment, in the game program, the operationbutton may be displayed so as to move at a speed corresponding to theattained period in the displaying.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the game program may cause thecomputer to further execute displaying a gauge having a lengthcorresponding to the point stored in the storage unit.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the game program may cause thecomputer to further execute displaying an area having a certain anglewith an apex of a first position on a display screen, which may bespecified by the own player, on the display screen as a specific areaand, when a second position in the specific area is specified by the ownplayer, accepting the specification of the second position as aninstruction to input the first action.

According to an exemplary embodiment, a game controlling method for acomputer that includes a storage unit and that provides a game mayinclude storing a point in the storage unit on the basis of a firstaction of a character of each of an own player and another player, thefirst action being performed in accordance with input instructions fromthe own player and the other player; determining whether the pointstored in the storage unit is greater than or equal to a predeterminedvalue; setting, if the determining determines that the point is greaterthan or equal to the predetermined value, a specific period from a timewhen an instruction to input a second action has been first acceptedfrom the own player or the other player as a cooperation acceptingperiod; accepting the instruction to input the second action up to amaximum number of times set for each cooperation player from acooperation player other than the player who has instructed input of thesecond action, among the own player and the other player, during thecooperation accepting period; and varying an effect of the second actionin accordance with the number of times of the instruction to input thesecond action accepted from the cooperation player.

According to an exemplary embodiment, an information processingapparatus that provides a game may include a storage unit that stores apoint on the basis of a first action of a character of each of an ownplayer and another player, the first action being performed inaccordance with input instructions from the own player and the otherplayer; an accumulation unit that determines whether the point stored inthe storage unit is greater than or equal to a predetermined value; acooperation unit that, if the accumulation unit determines that thepoint is greater than or equal to the predetermined value, sets aspecific period from a time when an instruction to input a second actionhas been first accepted from the own player or the other player as acooperation accepting period and accepts the instruction to input thesecond action up to a maximum number of times set for each cooperationplayer from a cooperation player other than the player who hasinstructed input of the second action, among the own player and theother player, during the cooperation accepting period; and an activationunit that varies an effect of the second action in accordance with thenumber of times of the instruction to input the second action acceptedfrom the cooperation player.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the game program, the gamecontrolling method, and the information processing apparatus may becapable of varying the effect of a special action in accordance with thenumber of players cooperating in the special action.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for describing an exemplarybattle game.

Exemplary FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary schematic configuration of agame system.

Exemplary FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary schematicconfiguration of a mobile terminal.

Exemplary FIG. 4A illustrates an exemplary display screens of the battlegame.

Exemplary FIG. 4B illustrates an exemplary display screens of the battlegame.

Exemplary FIG. 4C illustrates an exemplary display screens of the battlegame.

Exemplary FIG. 5A illustrates an exemplary display screen of the battlegame.

Exemplary FIG. 5B illustrates an exemplary display screen of the battlegame.

Exemplary FIG. 5C illustrates an exemplary display screen of the battlegame.

Exemplary FIG. 5D illustrates an exemplary display screen of the battlegame.

Exemplary FIG. 6A illustrates an exemplary data structure detailingplayer and game information.

Exemplary FIG. 6B illustrates an exemplary data structure detailingplayer and game information.

Exemplary FIG. 6C illustrates an exemplary data structure detailingplayer and game information.

Exemplary FIG. 6D illustrates an exemplary data structure detailingplayer and game information.

Exemplary FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary operating sequence in the gamesystem.

Exemplary FIG. 8 is an exemplary flowchart of an accumulation process.

Exemplary FIG. 9A is a schematic diagram providing an example of aninput instruction.

Exemplary FIG. 9B is a schematic diagram providing an example of aninput instruction.

Exemplary FIG. 10A is a schematic diagram for describing an exemplaryguide graphic.

Exemplary FIG. 10B illustrates an exemplary battle game screen.

Exemplary FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary schematic configuration ofanother mobile terminal.

Exemplary FIG. 12 is an exemplary flowchart of an input instructionprocess.

Exemplary FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for describing another exampleof the guide graphic.

Exemplary FIG. 14A is a schematic diagram providing an example of theinput instruction process in which the guide graphic is used stepwise.

Exemplary FIG. 14B is a schematic diagram providing an example of theinput instruction process in which the guide graphic is used stepwise.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Exemplary embodiments may herein be described with reference to theattached drawings. However, the technical scope of the present inventionis not limited to said exemplary embodiments.

Turning now to exemplary FIG. 1, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram fordescribing an exemplary battle game realized by multiple mobileterminals in cooperation with terminal game programs installed in therespective mobile terminals. A battle game provided by the multiplemobile terminals in the present embodiment may be described withreference to FIG. 1.

According to an exemplary embodiment, a player of the battle game mayoperate his/her own mobile terminal 2 a to perform the battle game inwhich his/her character is in a cooperative relationship with charactersof other players. The player himself/herself is hereinafter referred toas an own player, the character of the own player is hereinafterreferred to as an own character, the players other than the own playerare hereinafter referred to as other players, and the characters of theother players are hereinafter referred to as other characters. Themultiple other players operate their own mobile terminals, for examplethe own mobile terminals 2 b and 2 c, to perform the battle game usingthe respective other characters. The mobile terminals 2 a, 2 b, and 2 cmay be hereinafter collectively referred to as a mobile terminal 2.

In the battle game, the own character and one or more other charactersmay be movably arranged in the same battle game space, and may fightwith one or more enemy characters existing in the battle game space.During the fight, the own character and the other character may performnormal actions in accordance with the operations of the own player andthe other player. Hit points (HPs) may be associated with characters,for example the own character, the other character, and the enemycharacter. The HP of each character may be varied in accordance with,for example, the actions of another character who the character isfighting with. If the character has their HP become a predeterminedvalue (for example, zero) or less as the result of the fight, thecharacter may be disabled and unable to fight with the other characters,or this may result in defeat. Another example of a physical powerparameter or a life parameter, other than HP, may be used by eachcharacter to continue the battle game.

The normal actions that may be performed by characters may includebehaviors, such as attack, defense, use of an item, and activation of askill, performed by each character. Normal actions may affect the enemycharacter, the own character, and/or the other character in the fight.An attack or attack behavior may be a behavior to decrease the HPassociated with the enemy character. A defense or defense behavior maybe a behavior to reduce the amount of decrease in the HP upon receptionof the behavior to decrease the HP associated with the own characterfrom the enemy character. An item may be, for example, a recovery itemto increase the HP associated with the own character or the othercharacter, an attack item to decrease the HP associated with the enemycharacter, or a defense item to reduce the amount of decrease in the HPupon reception of the behavior to decrease the HP associated with theown character. A skill may be a special ability of each character and/ora special ability which each character learns in the battle game. Askill may be, for example, an attack magic to decrease the HP associatedwith the enemy character, a killer action to decrease the HP associatedwith the enemy character by an amount larger than that of the attackmagic, or a recovery magic to increase the HPs associated with the owncharacter and the other character. According to an exemplary embodiment,each character may consume a magic point (MP) of the character toactivate the skill. According to another exemplary embodiment, anotheractivation parameter other than the MP may be consumed to activate aspecific behavior, such as the skill. According to an exemplaryembodiment, a normal action may be an example of a first action.

According to an exemplary embodiment, an own player may make a team withtwo players, selected from among multiple players, before the battlegame is started. The players may be capable of making a team in responseto a cooperation request in the battle game from the own player to theother players, in response to a coordinate request in the battle gamefrom the other players to the own player, or in response to aninvitation from the own character to the other characters existing in agame space different from the battle game space. At start of the battlegame, the own character and the other characters belonging to the teammay fight with one or more enemy characters existing in the game space.According to an exemplary embodiment, the number of players belonging toone team may not be limited to three.

In the battle game, the skills of the own character and the othercharacters may be activated in response to input instructions from theown player and the other players. Points may be stored on the basis ofthe activated skills. For example, when a skill, such as the attackmagic, of the own character or one of the other characters is activatedonce and the skill hits on the enemy character (for example, thedecrease in the HP associated with the enemy character succeeded), onepoint may be stored for the skill. In this case, when the skill is usedby the own player to hit an enemy character three times, and the skillis used by the other players to hit an enemy character a total of fivetimes during the battle game, a total of eight points accumulated by theplayers for the skills may be stored. The points that are accumulatedand stored may be hereinafter referred to as accumulated points.According to an exemplary embodiment, a point may be stored when anormal action other than a skill has been performed. For example, onepoint may be stored each time an attack by the own character or by oneof the other characters is successful, and the accumulated points mayincrease according to the number of times of success of the attack byeach character. The amount of points stored in response to oneactivation of the skill may be varied in accordance with the kind of theskill. For example, when a high-level skill is activated once, a higheramount of points (for example, three points) may be stored, comparedwith a case in which a low-level skill is activated. According to anexemplary embodiment, a point may be added in response to activation ofthe skill or execution of the attack.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the mobile terminal 2 a of the ownplayer and the mobile terminals 2 b and 2 c of the other players mayshare the accumulated point and display the accumulated point in realtime (refer to (A) in FIG. 1). A gauge may be used to display theaccumulated point in each of the mobile terminals 2 a, 2 b, and 2 c(refer to (B) in FIG. 2). The gauge may be a bar graph having a lengthcorresponding to the accumulated point. For example, the accumulatedpoints, up to a predetermined value such as 10 points, may be displayedin the gauge. According to another exemplary embodiment, anotherpredetermined value may be used as an upper limit of the pointsdisplayed in the gauge.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the mobile terminal 2 a of the ownplayer and the mobile terminals 2 b and 2 c of the other players maydetermine whether 10 points or more are stored as the accumulated point.If 10 points or more are stored as accumulated points, the own playerand the other players may be capable of activating a special skill(refer to (C) in FIG. 1). According to an exemplary embodiment, thespecial skill may be an example of a second action. The second actionmay be a behavior that has an impact greater than that of the firstaction on the enemy character, the own character, and/or othercharacters. For example, the special skill may be a special attack magicto decrease the HP associated with the enemy character by an amountlarger than that in a case in which a skill, such as an attack magic, isactivated, or may be a special recovery magic to increase the HPsassociated with the own character and other characters by an amountlarger than that in a case in which a skill, such as a recovery magic,is activated. In another example, the special attack may be a behaviorthat decreases the HP associated with the enemy character by an amountlarger than that in a case in which the standard attack is performed.

According to an exemplary embodiment, when the special skill is capableof being activated, a special skill activation button used to activatethe special skill may be displayed in each of the mobile terminal 2 aand the mobile terminals 2 b and 2 c. Upon first selection of thespecial skill activation button by any of the own player and the otherplayers (refer to (D) in FIG. 1), an instruction to activate the specialskill may be stored. The special skill activation button may be anexample of an operation button. Next, a specific period (for example,five seconds) from the time when the activation of the special skill hasbeen instructed may be set as a cooperation accepting period. A playerwho has first selected the special skill activation button may behereinafter referred to as an activation player.

Next, during the cooperation accepting period, it may be determinedwhether any of the cooperation players have likewise sent instructionsfor the special skill to be activated. The cooperation players may beplayers other than the activation player, among the own player and theother players. If any of the cooperation players selects the specialskill activation button displayed in the mobile terminal 2 of thecooperation player (refer to (E) in FIG. 1), it is determined that thecooperation player has likewise sent instructions for the special skillto be activated. Each cooperation player may be capable of selecting thespecial skill activation button displayed in the mobile terminal 2 ofthe cooperation player once during the cooperation accepting period.According to an exemplary embodiment, there may be a maximum number oftimes (for example, three times) when the special skill activationbutton is capable of being selected during the cooperation acceptingperiod; this maximum may be set for each cooperation player. In thiscase, each cooperation player may be capable of selecting the specialskill activation button up to the maximum number of times. A totalmaximum number of times, which is the total of the number of times wheneach player is capable of selecting the special skill activation buttonduring the cooperation accepting period, may be set in advance. In thiscase, the respective cooperation players are capable of selecting thespecial skill activation button during the cooperation accepting periodup to the total maximum number of times.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the effect of the special skillmay be varied with the number of times the special skill activationbutton is selected by the cooperation players during the cooperationaccepting period (refer to (F) in FIG. 1). The effect of the specialskill may be the degree of effect to the enemy character, the owncharacter, and/or the other characters. The effect of the special skillmay be, for example, the amount of damage to the enemy character or theamounts of recovery from the damages of the own character and the othercharacters. According to an exemplary embodiment, the amount of damageor the amount of recovery may be increased as the number of times ofselection is increased.

According to an exemplary embodiment, upon termination of thecooperation accepting period, the special skill that the activationplayer has instructed the game to activate may be activated with thevaried effect.

As described above, it may be possible to vary the effect of a specialaction if the cooperation players cooperate with the activation playerin the activation of the special action or agree with the activation ofthe special action by the activation player. Accordingly, the intentionsof cooperation or agreement of the cooperation players are capable ofbeing reflected in the effect of the special action. In addition, sincea great amount of cooperation or agreement from the cooperation playersmay change the effect of the special action, an exemplary embodiment ofa battle game may include requesting a strategy from each player so thatthe special action is activated in an appropriate scene in the progressof the battle game, thereby improving a sense of entertainment of thebattle game.

Turning now to exemplary FIG. 2, FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplaryschematic configuration of a game system 1.

Referring to FIG. 2, the game system 1 may include the mobile terminals2 a, 2 b, and 2 c of an own player A and other players B and C,respectively, belonging to the same team. The mobile terminals 2 a, 2 b,and 2 c may be connected to each other via a communication network. Forexample, the mobile terminals 2 a, 2 b, and 2 c may be connected to eachother via a base station, a mobile communication network, a gateway, orthe Internet (not illustrated). Each of the mobile terminals 2 a, 2 b,and 2 c may broadcast game control data corresponding to the progress ofthe battle game to the other mobile terminals. The game control data mayat least include, for example, the HP and the MP of each character, theposition of each character in the battle game space, an action that isexecuted, and identifiers (IDs) of the other characters (including theenemy character) affected by the action. The game control data mayinclude, for example, the level of each character, an item owned by eachcharacter, a card owned by each character, the skill of each character,the HP and the MP of the enemy character, and the position of the enemycharacter in the battle game space.

Turning now to exemplary FIG. 3, FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustratingan exemplary schematic configuration of the mobile terminal 2.

A mobile terminal 2 may be connected to other mobile terminals via thebase station, the mobile communication network, the gateway, or theInternet, each of which may allow communication with the other mobileterminals. The mobile terminal 2 may control the progress of the game inaccordance with an operation by the player with an operation unit 23(for example, a touch panel). In addition, the mobile terminal 2 mayreceive a variety of data from the other mobile terminals to control theprogress of the game. In order to communicate with the other mobileterminals and control the progress of the game, the mobile terminal 2may include a terminal communication unit 21, a terminal storage unit22, the operation unit 23, a display unit 24, and a terminal processingunit 25.

Although a multifunctional mobile phone or “smartphone” is displayed asthe mobile terminal 2 in the Figures, the present embodiment is notlimited to smartphones. The mobile terminal 2 may be, for example, amobile phone (so called feature phone), a mobile information terminal (apersonal digital assistant (PDA)), a mobile game machine, a mobile musicplayer, a tablet terminal, a tablet personal computer (PC), or a laptopPC as long as the present invention is applicable to the mobile terminal2.

Referring again to exemplary FIG. 3, the terminal communication unit 21may include a communication interface circuit including an antennahaving a sensitive bandwidth of a certain frequency band, and may beused to connect the mobile terminal 2 to a wireless communicationnetwork. The terminal communication unit 21 may establish a wirelesssignal line adopting, for example, a Code Division Multiple Access(CDMA) method with the base station via a channel allocated by the basestation to communicate with the base station. The terminal communicationunit 21 may transmit data supplied from the terminal processing unit 25to, for example, the other mobile terminals 2. In addition, the terminalcommunication unit 21 may supply data received from, for example, theother mobile terminals 2 to the terminal processing unit 25. Theterminal communication unit 21 may periodically broadcast the variety ofdata to the other mobile terminals 2, and may also transmit the varietyof data in response to a request from the other mobile terminals 2.

The terminal storage unit 22 may include, for example, a semiconductormemory. The terminal storage unit 22 may store, for example, anoperating system program, driver programs, application programs, anddata used in the processing in the terminal processing unit 25. Theterminal storage unit 22 may store as the driver programs, for example,an input device driver program used to control the operation unit 23 andan output device driver program used to control the display unit 24. Theterminal storage unit 22 may store as the application program, forexample, a terminal game program used to advance the battle game on thebasis of instruction data input by the player with the operation unit23, the game control data acquired from the other mobile terminals 2,and so on to display display data involved in the progress of the battlegame. The terminal storage unit 22 may store as the data, for example,the game control data acquired from the other mobile terminals 2, thedisplay data involved in the progress of the game, video data, and imagedata. The terminal storage unit 22 may temporarily store temporary datarelating to a specific process.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the operation unit 23 may be anydevice as long as the mobile terminal 2 is capable of being operatedwith the operation unit 23. The operation unit 23 may be, for example, atouch panel or key buttons. According to an exemplary embodiment, theplayer may be capable of inputting characters, figures, symbols, and soon with the operation unit 23. When the operation unit 23 is operated bythe player, the operation unit 23 may generate a signal corresponding tothe operation. The generated signal may be supplied to the terminalprocessing unit 25 as an instruction from the player.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the display unit 24 may also beany device as long as a video, an image, or the like is capable of beingdisplayed in the display unit 24. The display unit 24 may be, forexample, a liquid crystal display or an organic electroluminescence (EL)display. According to an exemplary embodiment, the display unit 24 maydisplay a video corresponding to video data supplied from the terminalprocessing unit 25 or an image corresponding to image data supplied fromthe terminal processing unit 25.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the terminal processing unit 25may include one or more processors and their peripheral circuits. Theterminal processing unit 25 may integrally control the entire operationof the mobile terminal 2 and may be, for example, a central processingunit (CPU). The terminal processing unit 25 may control the operationsof the terminal communication unit 21, the display unit 24, and so on sothat various processes in the mobile terminal 2 are performed inappropriate procedures on the basis of, for example, the programs storedin the terminal storage unit 22 and operations with the operation unit23. The terminal processing unit 25 may perform the processes on thebasis of the programs (the operating system program, the driverprograms, the application programs, and so on) stored in the terminalstorage unit 22. According to an exemplary embodiment, the terminalprocessing unit 25 may be capable of executing multiple programs (forexample, the application programs) in parallel.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the terminal processing unit 25may at least include a battle game execution portion 251, anaccumulation portion 252, a cooperation portion 253, and an activationportion 254. These portions may be functional modules realized by theprograms executed by the one or more processors in the terminalprocessing unit 25. These portions may be installed in the mobileterminal 2 as firmware.

Exemplary FIGS. 4A to 4C and FIGS. 5A to 5D may each illustrateexemplary display screens of the battle game, which are displayed in themobile terminals 2 a, 2 b, and 2 c.

FIG. 4A illustrates examples of battle game screens 400 a, 400 b, and400 c displayed in the mobile terminals 2 a, 2 b, and 2 c, respectively.The mobile terminal 2 a may be a mobile terminal of the own player A andthe mobile terminals 2 b and 2 c may be mobile terminals of the otherplayers B and C. According to an exemplary embodiment, a battle gamespace within a certain range around an own character 401 a may bedisplayed on the battle game screen 400 a. Similarly, battle game spaceswithin certain ranges around other characters 401 b and 401 c may bedisplayed on the battle game screens 400 b and 400 c, respectively.According to an exemplary embodiment, the own character 401 a and anenemy character 402 a may be movably arranged in the same battle gamespace, the other character 401 b and an enemy character 402 b may bemovably arranged in the same battle game space, and the other character401 c and an enemy character 402 c may be movably arranged in the samebattle game space. For example, when the range of the battle game spacedisplayed on the battle game screen 400 a is varied with a movement ofthe own character 401 a, the enemy character 402 a may not be displayedon the battle game screen 400 a and another enemy character may bedisplayed thereon depending on the position of the enemy character 402 ain the battle game space.

According to an exemplary embodiment, when a so-called boss characterwhich the own character 401 a and the other characters 401 b and 401 ccooperatively fight with is the enemy character, the enemy characters402 a, 402 b, and 402 c may be the same character. In this case, theposition of the enemy character (boss character) in the battle gamespace, the HP and the MP of the enemy character (boss character), and soon may be shared between the mobile terminals 2 a, 2 b, and 2 c.According to another exemplary embodiment, when enemy characters otherthan the boss character are the enemy characters 402 a, 402 b, and 402c, respectively, which the own character 401 a and the other characters401 b and 401 c individually fight with, the enemy characters 402 a, 402b, and 402 c may be different characters. In this case, the positions ofthe enemy characters (the enemy characters other than the bosscharacter) in the battle game space, the HPs and the MPs of the enemycharacters (the enemy characters other than the boss character), and soon may not be shared between the mobile terminals 2 a, 2 b, and 2 c.

Gauges 403 a, 403 b, and 403 c may be displayed on the battle gamescreens 400 a, 400 b, and 400 c, respectively. The gauges 403 a, 403 b,and 403 c may have a length corresponding to the accumulated points. Theaccumulated points may be calculated by, when the skills activated bythe own character 401 a and the other characters 401 b and 401 c havehit on the enemy characters, determining the points generated andincrementing the points corresponding to the skills. The accumulatedpoints may be accumulated in cooperation between the own character 401 aand the other characters 401 b and 401 c. The gauges 403 a, 403 b, and403 c displayed on the battle game screens 400 a, 400 b, and 400 c, may,respectively, have the same value. The gauges 403 a, 403 b, and 403 cmay be at their maximum length when the value of the accumulated pointsis greater than or equal to a predetermined value (for example, 10points). Displaying of the gauges 403 a, 403 b, and 403 c on the battlegame screens 400 a, 400 b, and 400 c, respectively, may enable the ownplayer A and the other players B and C to visually recognize the pointsnecessary to be accumulated in order to activate the special skill.

FIG. 4B illustrates examples of battle game screens 410 a, 410 b, and410 c that may be displayed in the mobile terminals 2 a, 2 b, and 2 c,respectively. A battle game space within a certain range around an owncharacter 411 a may be displayed on the battle game screen 410 a andbattle game spaces within certain ranges around other characters 411 band 411 c may be displayed on the battle game screens 410 b and 410 c,respectively. Enemy characters 412 a, 412 b, and 412 c may be displayedon the battle game screens 410 a, 410 b, and 410 c, respectively.

Gauges 413 a, 413 b, and 413 c may have a maximum length on the battlegame screens 410 a, 410 b, and 410 c, respectively, unlike the battlegame screens 400 a, 400 b, and 400 c. This may indicate that the valueof the accumulated points is greater than or equal to the predeterminedpoint value (10 points); accordingly, special skill activation buttons414 a, 414 b, and 414 c may be displayed on the battle game screens 410a, 410 b, and 410 c, respectively. The special skill activation buttons414 a, 414 b, and 414 c may be buttons used to activate the specialskills. According to an exemplary embodiment, only one of the own playerA and the other players B and C may be capable of selecting thecorresponding special skill activation button. Displaying the specialskill activation buttons 414 a, 414 b, and 414 c on the battle gamescreens 410 a, 410 b, and 410 c of all of the own player A and the otherplayers B and C, respectively, may thus allow each of the players on theteam to have the right to activate the special skill.

FIG. 4C illustrates examples of battle game screens 420 a, 420 b, and420 c that may be displayed on the mobile terminals 2 a, 2 b, and 2 c,respectively. A battle game space within a certain range around an owncharacter 421 a, an enemy character 422 a, a gauge 423 a, and a specialskill activation button 424 a may all be displayed on the battle gamescreen 420 a, and battle game spaces within certain ranges around othercharacters 421 b and 421 c, enemy characters 422 b and 422 c, gauges 423b and 423 c, and special skill activation buttons 424 b and 424 c may bedisplayed on the battle game screens 420 b and 420 c, respectively, ason the battle game screens 410 a, 410 b, and 410 c.

Upon first selection of the special skill activation button 424 a by theown player A on the battle game screen 420 a, the battle game screens420 a, 420 b, and 420 c may be changed to cooperation accepting periodscreens.

Turning now to exemplary FIG. 5A, FIG. 5A illustrates examples ofcooperation accepting period screens 500 a, 500 b, 500 c that may bedisplayed on the mobile terminals 2 a, 2 b, and 2 c, respectively. Acollection 501 a of the own character and the other characters may bedisplayed on the cooperation accepting period screen 500 a, a collection501 b of the own character and the other characters may be displayed onthe cooperation accepting period screen 500 b, and a collection 501 c ofthe own character and the other characters may be displayed on thecooperation accepting period screen 500 c. A wait-for-cooperationdisplay image 502 indicating the cooperation accepting period may bedisplayed on the cooperation accepting period screen 500 a of the mobileterminal 2 a of the own player A, who is the activation player. Aspecial skill activation button 503 b may be displayed on thecooperation accepting period screen 500 b of the mobile terminal 2 b ofthe other player B, who is a cooperation player, and a special skillactivation button 503 c may be displayed on the cooperation acceptingperiod screen 500 c of the mobile terminal 2 c of the other player C,who is another cooperation player.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the cooperation accepting periodscreens 500 a, 500 b, and 500 c may be displayed only during thecooperation accepting period (for example, for five seconds) after thespecial skill activation button 424 a has been first selected by the ownplayer A. After the cooperation accepting period (for example, fiveseconds) has elapsed, the cooperation accepting period screens 500 a,500 b, and 500 c may be changed to special skill activation screens.

FIG. 5B illustrates examples of special skill activation screens 510 a,510 b, and 510 c that may be displayed in the mobile terminals 2 a, 2 b,and 2 c, respectively. According to an exemplary embodiment, the specialskill activation screens 510 a, 510 b, and 510 c may be the same screen.An own character 511 a of the own player A, who is the activationplayer, a battle game space within a certain range around the owncharacter 511 a, an enemy character 512 a existing in the battle gamespace within the certain range, a gauge 513 a, a special skill producedimage 514 a, and so on may all be displayed on the special skillactivation screens 510 a, 510 b, and 510 c. According to an exemplaryembodiment, the special skill activation screens 510 a, 510 b, and 510 cmay display the special skill of the attack magic having an attack powergreater than that of the normal skill of the attack magic, and may showthis special skill being activated on the enemy character 512 a.

The special skill activation screens 510 a, 510 b, and 510 c may bedisplayed when the two other players B and C, who are the cooperationplayers, select the special skill activation buttons 503 b and 503 c,respectively, during the cooperation accepting period.

FIG. 5C illustrates an example of another special skill activationscreen 520 a, 520 b, and 520 c that may be displayed in the mobileterminals 2 a, 2 b, and 2 c, respectively. Likewise, FIG. 5D illustratesan example of another special skill activation screen 530 a, 530 b, and530 c that may be displayed in the mobile terminals 2 a, 2 b, and 2 c,respectively. In exemplary FIG. 5C, an own character 521 a, an enemycharacter 522 a, a gauge 523 a, and a special skill produced image 524 amay all be displayed on the other special skill activation screens 520a, 520 b, and 520 c, as on the special skill activation screens 510 a,510 b, and 510 c. Likewise, in exemplary FIG. 5D, an own character 531a, an enemy character 532 a, a gauge 533 a, and a special skill producedimage 534 a are displayed on the other special skill activation screens530 a, 530 b, and 530 c, as on the special skill activation screens 510a, 510 b, and 510 c.

In exemplary FIG. 5C, the special skill activation screens 520 a, 520 b,and 520 c may be displayed when only any one of the other players B andC, who are the cooperation players, selects the special skill activationbutton 503 b or 503 c during the cooperation accepting period. In theexemplary embodiment of FIG. 5C, the magnitude of the special skillproduced image 524 a is smaller than that of the special skill producedimage 514 a. According to an exemplary embodiment, the time periodduring which the special skill produced image 524 a is displayed may beshorter than the time period during which the special skill producedimage 514 a is displayed.

In exemplary FIG. 5D, the special skill activation screens 530 a, 530 b,and 530 c may be displayed when none of the other players B and C, whoare the cooperation players, selects the special skill activationbuttons 503 b and 503 c during the cooperation accepting period. In thisembodiment, the magnitude of the special skill produced image 534 a maybe smaller than that of the special skill produced image 524 a.According to an exemplary embodiment, the time period during which thespecial skill produced image 534 a is displayed may be shorter than thetime period during which the special skill produced image 524 a isdisplayed.

According to an exemplary embodiment, in order to realize the abovefunctions, the terminal storage unit 22 may store, for example, anown-player table illustrated in FIG. 6A, an other-players tableillustrated in FIG. 6B, an accumulated point table illustrated in FIG.6C, and an activation cooperation table illustrated in FIG. 6D asvarious tables. In addition, the terminal storage unit 22 may store oneor more kinds of battle game space data. The battle game space data mayinclude, for example, data that defines a field in which each characteris capable of moving, data used to draw trees, rocks, and structures(buildings, bridges, and so on), the images of the other characters, andthe HPs, the MPs, and positions of the other characters. The terminalprocessing unit 25 may include the battle game execution portion 251,the accumulation portion 252, the cooperation portion 253, and theactivation portion 254, as illustrated in FIG. 3. These portions arefunctional modules realized by the programs executed by the one or moreprocessors in the terminal processing unit 25. These portions may beinstalled in the mobile terminal 2 as firmware.

Turning now to exemplary FIGS. 6A to 6D, the various tables illustratedin FIG. 6A to 6D and the functional modules in the terminal processingunit 25 illustrated in FIG. 3 will be sequentially described. Althoughthe description will focus on the mobile terminal 2 a of the own playerA, the mobile terminals 2 b and 2 c of the other players B and C havethe same functions as those of the mobile terminal 2 a.

Turning now to exemplary FIG. 6A, FIG. 6A illustrates an example of theown-player table. The player ID, the name, the level, the HP, the MP,the position, an image, the occupation, the attribute, skills which theown player owns, killer actions which the own player owns, and so on ofthe own character may all be stored in association with each other inthe own-player table. The position stored in the own-player table mayindicate the position of the own character in the battle game space.

FIG. 6B illustrates an example of the other-players table. The playerID, the name, the level, the HP, the MP, the position, an image, and soon of each of the other characters are stored in association with eachother in the other-players table.

FIG. 6C illustrates an example of the accumulated point table. Theaccumulated number of points corresponding to each skill when the skillwas successfully used on an enemy character, and the time when theaccumulated points have been stored, may be stored in association witheach other in the accumulated point table.

FIG. 6D illustrates an example of the activation cooperation table. Theplayer ID and the time of the activation player and the player ID(s) ofthe cooperation player(s) for the activation player may be stored inassociation with each other in the activation cooperation table. Thetime indicates the time when the activation player has selected thespecial skill activation button.

Turning back to exemplary FIG. 3, the function of certain portions ofthe terminal communication unit 21 may be described. According to anexemplary embodiment, the battle game execution portion 251 may controlthe start and execution of the battle game. At the start of the battlegame, the battle game execution portion 251 may extract the player ID,the name, the level, the HP, the MP, and so on with reference to theown-player table and may transmit the variety of data that is extractedto the mobile terminals 2 b and 2 c of the other players B and C via theterminal communication unit 21, in the form of game control data. Thebattle game execution portion 251 may receive the game control dataabout each of the other characters from the mobile terminal 2 b of theother player B and the mobile terminal 2 c of the other player C via theterminal communication unit 21, and may store the variety of dataincluded in the received game control data in the other-players table.

In addition, the battle game execution portion 251 may movably arrangethe own character, the other characters, and the enemy character in thebattle game space on the basis of the battle game space data, theown-player table, and the other-players table, which are stored in theterminal storage unit 22. Battle game execution portion 251 may alsostart the battle game. The battle game execution portion 251 may draw abattle space within a certain range around the own character and maysuperimpose the gauge corresponding to the accumulated points stored inthe accumulated point table on the battle space to generate the displaydata. The battle game execution portion 251 may display the battle gamescreen in the display unit 24 on the basis of the generated displaydata.

Furthermore, the battle game execution portion 251 may control, forexample, the action and the movement of the own character on the basisof the instruction data input by the own player with the operation unit23 and updates the variety of data in the own-player table in accordancewith the progress of the game. The battle game execution portion 251 mayextract the variety of data with reference to the own-player table andmay periodically transmit the extracted variety of data to the mobileterminals 2 b and 2 c of the other players B and C via the terminalcommunication unit 21 as the game control data.

Furthermore, the battle game execution portion 251 may periodicallyreceive the game control data about the other characters from the mobileterminals 2 b and 2 c of the other players B and C via the terminalcommunication unit 21 and may store the variety of data included in thereceived game control data in the other-players table. The battle gameexecution portion 251 may periodically refer to the own-player table andthe other-players table to reflect the content of the own-player tableand the content of the other-players table in the own character and theother characters in the battle game space, thereby controlling theexecution of the battle game.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the accumulation portion 252 mayextract the latest accumulated point with reference to the accumulatedpoint table, when the activation of the skill, such as the attack magic,is instructed by the own player with the operation unit 23 and theinstructed skill has hit on the enemy character (the decrease in the HPassociated with the enemy character succeeded). The accumulation portionmay identify the point corresponding to the activated skill. Theaccumulation portion 252 may add the identified point to the extractedaccumulated point to calculate the next latest accumulated point and maystore the calculated accumulated point in the accumulated point tablewith the current time to update the accumulated point table. Theaccumulation portion 252 may store the accumulated point in theaccumulated point table, may generate an accumulated point updateinstruction including the stored accumulated point or points and thetime, and may transmit the accumulated point update instruction to themobile terminals 2 b and 2 c of the other players B and C via theterminal communication unit 21.

In addition, upon reception of the accumulated point update instructionfrom the mobile terminal 2 b or 2 c of the other player B or C via theterminal communication unit 21, the accumulation portion 252 may storethe accumulated point or points and the time included in the receivedaccumulated point update instruction in the accumulated point table asthe next latest accumulated point or points and the time.

Furthermore, the accumulation portion 252 may determine whether theaccumulated point total stored in the accumulated point table is greaterthan or equal to a predetermined value (10 points). If the accumulatedpoint total is greater than or equal to the predetermined value, theaccumulation portion 252 may generate an activation preparationinstruction. The accumulation portion 252 may transmit the activationpreparation instruction to the mobile terminals 2 b and 2 c of the otherplayers B and C via the terminal communication unit 21 and may pass theactivation preparation instruction to the cooperation portion 253.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the cooperation portion 253 maydisplay the battle game screen in which the special skill activationbutton is superimposed on the battle game space in the display unit 24upon reception of the activation preparation instruction from theaccumulation portion 252 or reception of the activation preparationinstruction from the mobile terminal 2 b or 2 c of the other player B orC via the terminal communication unit 21. First, the cooperation portion253 may draw the battle game space within a certain range around the owncharacter, and may superimpose the gauge and the special skillactivation button corresponding to the accumulated points stored in theaccumulated point table on the battle game space, to generate thedisplay data. Then, the cooperation portion 253 may display the battlegame screen in the display unit 24 on the basis of the generated displaydata.

In addition, when the special skill activation button is selected by theown player A, the cooperation portion 253 may transmit an acceptancestart instruction including the player ID of the own player and the timewhen the special skill activation button has been selected to the mobileterminals 2 b and 2 c of the other players B and C via the terminalcommunication unit 21. When the acceptance start instruction has beentransmitted to the mobile terminals 2 b and 2 c, the cooperation portion253 may store the player ID of the own player A in the activationcooperation table as an activation player ID, and may store the timewhen the special skill activation button has been selected in theactivation cooperation table.

Furthermore, upon reception of the acceptance start instruction from themobile terminal 2 b or 2 c of the other player B or C, the cooperationportion 253 may store the player ID of the other player included in theacceptance start instruction in the activation cooperation table as theactivation player ID, and may store the time included in the acceptancestart instruction in the activation cooperation table.

Furthermore, upon transmission of the acceptance start instruction tothe mobile terminal 2 b or 2 c of the other player B or C, or receptionof the acceptance start instruction from the mobile terminal 2 b or 2 cof the other player B or C via the terminal communication unit 21, thecooperation portion 253 may display the cooperation accepting periodscreen in the display unit 24.

Specifically, upon transmission of the acceptance start instruction tothe mobile terminal 2 b or 2 c of the other player B or C, thecooperation portion 253 may generate the display data including theimages of the own character and the other characters and thewait-for-cooperation display image indicating the cooperation acceptingperiod. Upon reception of the acceptance start instruction from themobile terminal 2 b or 2 c of the other player B or C, the cooperationportion 253 may generate the display data including the images of theown character and the other characters and the special skill activationbutton. Then, the cooperation portion 253 may display the cooperationaccepting period screen in the display unit 24 only during thecooperation accepting period (for example, for five seconds) on thebasis of the generated display data. The cooperation portion 253 maydisplay the special skill activation button included in the cooperationaccepting period screen during the cooperation accepting period so thatthe special skill activation button is moved. The cooperation portion253 may vary the speed and/or direction of movement of the special skillactivation button at random at arbitrary timing. According to anexemplary embodiment, this may improve the sense of entertainmentderived from the game by introducing elements of a shooting game intothe game.

According to an exemplary embodiment, upon selection of the specialskill activation button by the own player A during the cooperationaccepting period while the cooperation accepting period screen includingthe special skill activation button is being displayed, the cooperationportion 253 may store the player ID of the own player A as thecooperation player with reference to the activation cooperation table,and may transmit a cooperation instruction to the mobile terminals 2 band 2 c of the other players B and C via the terminal communication unit21. The own player A may be capable of selecting the special skillactivation button up to a predetermined maximum number of times duringthe cooperation accepting period.

The cooperation portion 253 may extend the cooperation accepting periodeach time the special skill activation button included in thecooperation accepting period screen is selected by the cooperationplayer other than the activation player. For example, the cooperationportion 253 may extend the cooperation accepting period by five secondsfrom the time when the special skill activation button included in thecooperation accepting period screen has been selected by any of thecooperation players other than the activation player. This gives extratime to a cooperation player who is not capable of determining whetherthe cooperation is to be performed only during the cooperation acceptingperiod. According to an exemplary embodiment, since the possibility ofselection of the special skill activation button may be varied dependingon the timing when the other cooperation players select the specialskill activation button, one cooperation player may be capable ofrequesting a strategy from each cooperation player. This may encouragecommunication between the players.

According to an exemplary embodiment, upon reception of the cooperationinstruction from the mobile terminal 2 b or 2 c of the other player B orC via the terminal communication unit 21 during the cooperationaccepting period, the cooperation portion 253 may store the player IDsof the players who have transmitted the cooperation instruction in theactivation cooperation table as the cooperation player IDs. The otherplayers B and C may be capable of selecting the special skill activationbutton up to the predetermined maximum number of times during thecooperation accepting period. In this case, the cooperation portion 253may store the player IDs of the other players B and C in the activationcooperation table as the cooperation player IDs of a numbercorresponding to the number of times of selection. In order to increasethe effect of the special skill, each cooperation player may be requiredto perform, for example, an operation to tap the special skillactivation button repeatedly during the cooperation accepting period.This may, for example, increase the sense of realism of the game. Inthis case, the selection times when the respective players have selectedthe special skill activation button may be stored and the effect of thespecial skill may be increased for each of the other players as theinterval between the stored selection times is decreased and/or as eachof the stored selection times is closer to each predetermined selectiontiming. This provides the battle game to which the fun of the timinggame is added.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the activation portion 254 mayvary the effect of the special skill depending on the number of thecooperation player IDs stored in the activation cooperation table, whenthe cooperation accepting period elapsed or the player IDs of all thecooperation players have been stored in the activation cooperation tableas the cooperation player IDs, and activates the varied special skill.The activation portion 254 of the mobile terminal 2 of the activationplayer may transmit the display data used to display a battle game imageimmediately before the special skill activation button has been selectedto the mobile terminals 2 of the players other than the activationplayer during the cooperation accepting period. This may allow thespecial skill activation screen including the character of theactivation player, the battle game space within a certain range aroundthe character, and the enemy character 512 a existing in the battle gamespace within the certain range to be displayed also in the mobileterminals 2 of the players other than the activation player. Theactivation portion 254 may return the accumulated point stored in theaccumulated point table to an initial value (zero) after the specialskill is activated.

The cooperation portion 253 may calculate a difference period betweenthe start time when the accumulation of the accumulated points in theaccumulated point table is started and the time included in theacceptance start instruction. This difference period may be consideredto be an “attained period,” and the effect of the special skill may varybased on the length of the attained period.

For example, according to an exemplary embodiment, the effect of thespecial skill may be increased with a decreasing attained period, or theeffect of the special skill may be increased based on the frequency withwhich each player activates a skill. In this case, a reward may be givento each player for active use of the skill. This may motivate increasedactivity of the player in the game.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the cooperation portion 253 mayvary a display mode, such as the size of the special skill activationbutton included in the cooperation accepting period screen, depending onthe attained period. For example, the cooperation portion 253 mayincrease the size of the special skill activation button included in thecooperation accepting period screen when the attained period is verysmall. This allows, for example, a selection error of the special skillactivation button to be prevented.

According to an exemplary embodiment, a display mode may move thespecial skill activation button while it is displayed, and thecooperation portion 253 may vary the speed of the movement of thespecial skill activation button depending on the attained period. Forexample, the cooperation portion 253 may decrease the speed of movementof the special skill activation button included in the cooperationaccepting period screen with the decreasing attained period. This maymake the special skill activation button easier to select with adecreasing attained period.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the start time when theaccumulation of accumulated points in the accumulated point table hasbeen started may be considered to be the latest of several times;specifically, it may be the later of the start time when the battle gamehas been started by the battle game execution portion 251 and the timewhen the battle game screen has been re-displayed in response toactivation of the special skill by the activation portion 254. Accordingto an exemplary embodiment, when the special skill has been activated bythe activation portion 254 multiple times, the latest time when thespecial skill has been activated may be adopted.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the cooperation portion 253 maystore the selection times when the respective cooperation players haveselected the special skill activation button included in the cooperationaccepting period screen during the cooperation accepting period, and mayincrease the effect of the special skill as the interval between theselection times of the respective cooperation player is decreased. Whenthree or more cooperation players exist, the cooperation portion 253 mayincrease the effect of the special skill as the average of thedifferences between the selection times of the respective cooperationplayers is decreased. This may have the effect of increasing the effectof the special skill as the interval of cooperation between thecooperation players is shortened, thereby providing an additional timinggame that can increase the fun of players playing the battle game.According to another exemplary embodiment, the cooperation portion 253may increase the effect of the special skill when the multiplecooperation players have selected the special skill activation button ina predetermined order (for example, in ascending order of the levels ofthe characters of the cooperation players). In this case, it is possibleto give a sense of exhilaration, as in a combo play, to each player toimprove the motivation of selection of the special skill activationbutton of each cooperation player.

Turning now to exemplary FIG. 7, FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplaryoperating sequence in the game system 1. This operating sequence may beperformed on the basis of the programs stored in the terminal storageunit 22 in advance mainly in cooperation with each element in theterminal processing unit 25.

The operating sequence in the game system 1 illustrated in FIG. 7 willnow be described.

Referring to FIG. 7, in Step S101, the accumulation portion 252 in themobile terminal 2 a of the own player A may periodically perform anaccumulation process while the battle game is being executed by thebattle game execution portion 251. The process of executing the battlewill be described below. The accumulation process may also beperiodically performed in the accumulation portion 252 in the mobileterminal 2 b of the other player B and the accumulation portion 252 inthe mobile terminal 2 c of the other player C.

In Step S102, the accumulation portion 252 in the mobile terminal 2 amay transmit the accumulated point update instruction or the activationpreparation instruction generated in the accumulation process to themobile terminal 2 b of the other player B via the terminal communicationunit 21. In Step S103, the accumulation portion 252 in the mobileterminal 2 a may transmit the accumulated point update instruction orthe activation preparation instruction to the mobile terminal 2 c of theother player C via the terminal communication unit 21. The accumulationportion 252 in the mobile terminal 2 a may pass the activationpreparation instruction to the cooperation portion 253 in thetransmission of the activation preparation instruction to the mobileterminals 2 b and 2 c. Also in the accumulation portion 252 in themobile terminal 2 b of the other player B and the accumulation portion252 in the mobile terminal 2 c of the other player C, the accumulatedpoint update instruction or the activation preparation instructiongenerated in the accumulation process may be transmitted to the othermobile terminals via the terminal communication unit 21 each time theaccumulation process is performed.

In Step S104, upon reception of the activation preparation instructionfrom the accumulation portion 252 in the mobile terminal 2 a, thecooperation portion 253 in the mobile terminal 2 a may display thebattle game screen on which the special skill activation button issuperimposed in the display unit 24 in the mobile terminal 2 a.Simultaneously, in Step S105, upon reception of the activationpreparation instruction from the mobile terminal 2 a via the terminalcommunication unit 21, the cooperation portion 253 in the mobileterminal 2 b may display the battle game screen on which the specialskill activation button is superimposed in the display unit 24 in themobile terminal 2 b. Simultaneously, in Step S106, upon reception of theactivation preparation instruction from the mobile terminal 2 a via theterminal communication unit 21, the cooperation portion 253 in themobile terminal 2 c may display the battle game screen on which thespecial skill activation button is superimposed in the display unit 24in the mobile terminal 2 c.

When the special skill activation button displayed in the display unit24 in the mobile terminal 2 a is selected by the own player A in StepS107, in Step S108, the cooperation portion 253 in the mobile terminal 2a may transmit the acceptance start instruction to the mobile terminal 2b via the terminal communication unit 21. Simultaneously, in Step S109,the cooperation portion 253 in the mobile terminal 2 a may transmit theacceptance start instruction to the mobile terminal 2 c via the terminalcommunication unit 21. Also, when either of the other player B and theother player C has selected the special skill activation buttondisplayed in the display unit 24 in the mobile terminal 2 b or 2 c, theacceptance start instruction may be transmitted to the mobile terminals2 of the players other than the other player who has selected thespecial skill activation button.

Upon transmission of the acceptance start instruction to the mobileterminals 2 b and 2 c, in Step S110, the cooperation portion 253 in themobile terminal 2 a may display the cooperation accepting period screenincluding the wait-for-cooperation display image indicating thecooperation accepting period in the display unit 24 in the mobileterminal 2 a. Simultaneously, upon reception of the acceptance startinstruction from the mobile terminal 2 a via the terminal communicationunit 21, in Step S111, the cooperation portion 253 in the mobileterminal 2 b may display the cooperation accepting period screenincluding the special skill activation button in the display unit 24 inthe mobile terminal 2 b. Simultaneously, upon reception of theacceptance start instruction from the mobile terminal 2 a via theterminal communication unit 21, in Step S112, the cooperation portion253 in the mobile terminal 2 c may display the cooperation acceptingperiod screen including the special skill activation button in thedisplay unit 24 in the mobile terminal 2 c.

When the own player B selects the special skill activation button duringthe cooperation accepting period while the cooperation accepting periodscreen including the special skill activation button is being displayed,the cooperation portion 253 in the mobile terminal 2 b may store theplayer ID of the own player B in the activation cooperation table as thecooperation player and, in Step S113, the cooperation portion 253 in themobile terminal 2 b may transmit the cooperation instruction to themobile terminal 2 a via the terminal communication unit 21. When the ownplayer C selects the special skill activation button during thecooperation accepting period while the cooperation accepting periodscreen including the special skill activation button is being displayed,the cooperation portion 253 in the mobile terminal 2 c may store theplayer ID of the own player C in the activation cooperation table as thecooperation player and, in Step S114, the cooperation portion 253 in themobile terminal 2 c may transmit the cooperation instruction to themobile terminal 2 a via the terminal communication unit 21.

Upon reception of the cooperation instruction from the mobile terminal 2b or 2 c of the other player B or C via the terminal communication unit21 during the cooperation accepting period while the cooperationaccepting period screen including the wait-for-cooperation display imageis being displayed, in Step S115, the cooperation portion 253 in themobile terminal 2 a may store the player ID of the player who hastransmitted the cooperation instruction as the cooperation player IDwith reference to the activation cooperation table.

According to an exemplary embodiment, when the cooperation acceptingperiod has elapsed, or when the player IDs of all the players other thanthe activation player are stored in the activation cooperation table asthe cooperation player IDs, in Step S116, the activation portion 254 inthe mobile terminal 2 a may vary the effect of the special skill inaccordance with the number of the cooperation player IDs stored in theactivation cooperation table, and may activate the varied special skill.Simultaneously, when the cooperation accepting period elapses or theplayer IDs of all the players other than the activation player arestored in the activation cooperation table as the cooperation playerIDs, in Step S117, according to an exemplary embodiment, the activationportion 254 in the mobile terminal 2 b may vary the effect of thespecial skill in accordance with the number of the cooperation playerIDs stored in the activation cooperation table, and may activate thevaried special skill. Simultaneously, when the cooperation acceptingperiod elapses or the player IDs of all the players other than theactivation player are stored in the activation cooperation table as thecooperation player IDs, in Step S118, according to an exemplaryembodiment, the activation portion 254 in the mobile terminal 2 c mayvary the effect of the special skill in accordance with the number ofthe cooperation player IDs stored in the activation cooperation table,and may activate the varied special skill.

Turning now to exemplary FIG. 8, FIG. 8 is an exemplary flowchart of theaccumulation process by the accumulation portion 252. The accumulationprocess illustrated in FIG. 8 may be performed in Step S101 in FIG. 7.

Referring to FIG. 8, in Step S201, the accumulation portion 252 maydetermine whether the skill activated by the own player with theoperation unit 23 has hit on the enemy character (whether the decreasein the HP associated with the enemy character succeeded).

According to an exemplary embodiment, if the accumulation portion 252determines that the activated skill has hit on the enemy character (YESin Step S201), in Step S202, the accumulation portion 252 may determinethe points corresponding to the activated skill, and may store theaccumulated points. If the accumulation portion 252 determines that theactivated skill has not hit on the enemy character (NO in Step S201),the process goes to Step S204 described below.

In Step S203, the accumulation portion 252 may generate the accumulatedpoint update instruction including the stored accumulated point and thetime.

In Step S204, the accumulation portion 252 may determine whether theaccumulated point update instruction has been received from the mobileterminal of the other player via the terminal communication unit 21. Ifthe accumulation portion 252 determines that the accumulated pointupdate instruction has been received from the mobile terminal of theother player (YES in Step S204), in Step S205, the accumulation portion252 may store the received accumulated point and the time. If theaccumulation portion 252 determines that the accumulated point updateinstruction has not been received from the mobile terminal of the otherplayer (NO in Step S204), the process may go to Step S206 describedbelow.

In step S206, the accumulation portion 252 may determine whether theaccumulated point value stored in the accumulated point table is greaterthan or equal to a predetermined value (10 points).

If the accumulation portion 252 determines that the accumulated pointvalue is greater than or equal to the predetermined value (10 points)(YES in Step S206), in Step S207, the accumulation portion 252 generatesan activation preparation instruction. Then, the accumulation process inFIG. 8 is terminated. If the accumulation portion 252 determines thatthe accumulated point is not greater than nor equal to the predeterminedvalue (10 points) (NO in Step S206), the process may go back to StepS201.

As described above, according to an exemplary embodiment of the gamesystem 1, when the special skill activation button has been selected bythe own player A, the special skill having an effect corresponding tothe number of times the special skill activation button has beenselected by the other players B and C, is activated. Accordingly, thegame system 1 in the present embodiment may be capable of reflecting theintentions of cooperation or agreement of the other players in theeffect of the special, thereby improving the sense of entertainment ofthe battle game.

In the game system 1 in the present embodiment, a specific terminal,among the multiple mobile terminals 2, may function as a host. Themobile terminal 2 functioning as the host is hereinafter referred to asa host terminal and the mobile terminals other than the host terminalare hereinafter referred to as client terminals. In this case, the hostterminal may manage the accumulated point table and the activationcooperation table, and the client terminals may not manage theaccumulated point table and the activation cooperation table. Eachclient terminal may not include the accumulation portion 252 and, eachtime the activated skill hits on the enemy character, may insteadtransmit the point corresponding to the skill to the host terminal. Theaccumulation portion 252 in the host terminal may accumulate and storethese points. The host terminal may periodically transmit theaccumulated point stored in the accumulated point table to the clientterminals and the cooperation portion 253 in each client terminal maygenerate the display data including the gauge corresponding to theaccumulated point received from the host terminal. In addition, thecooperation portion 253 in each client terminal may transmit theacceptance start instruction only to the host terminal when the specialskill activation button has been selected. The host terminal maytransmit the acceptance start instruction to all the client terminals.The cooperation portion 253 in each client terminal may transmit thecooperation instruction only to the host terminal. When the cooperationaccepting period has elapsed or the player IDs of all the cooperationplayers are stored in the activation cooperation table as thecooperation player IDs, the activation portion 254 in the host terminalmay transmit the number of the cooperation player IDs stored in theactivation cooperation table and the display data used to display thebattle game image immediately before the special skill activation buttonhas been selected in the mobile terminal 2 of the activation player toall the client terminals. The activation portion 254 in each clientterminal may display the special skill activation screen on the basis ofthe received number of the cooperation player IDs and the display dataused to display the battle game image. Causing the multiple mobileterminals 2 to function as the host terminal and the client terminalsmay help to prevent loss of data or inconsistency of data between themobile terminals. According to an exemplary embodiment, the hostterminal may manage not only the accumulated point table and theactivation cooperation table but also all the tables involved in theprogress of the game, the battle game space data, and so on. Accordingto another exemplary embodiment, a server apparatus may be caused tohave the function of the host terminal. In this case, the mobileterminal 2 may communicate with the server apparatus to receive the datain the various tables and the battle game space data and may transmitthe data that is generated or updated along with the progress of thegame to the server apparatus, thereby advancing the game.

According to an exemplary embodiment, an instruction to input the skillmay be accepted on the basis of position specification in a specificarea on the display screen.

A process of instructing input of the skill, when a pointing device suchas a touch panel is used as the operation unit 23 in the mobile terminal2, will now be described.

Turning now to exemplary FIGS. 9A and 9B, FIGS. 9A and 9B are schematicdiagrams for describing an example of the instruction to input theskill, which is based on the position specification in a specific areaon the display screen. Although the player who operates the mobileterminal 2 is referred to as the own player in the following descriptionfor convenience, the same processing is performed also in the mobileterminals 2 operated by the other players.

FIG. 9A illustrates an example of a battle game screen 900 displayed inthe mobile terminal 2.

Referring to FIG. 9A, an own character 901, a battle game space within acertain range around the own character 901, an enemy character 902existing in the battle game space within the certain range, a gauge 903,and so on may be displayed on the battle game screen 900.

When the own player taps on one point on the battle game screen 900 ofthe mobile terminal 2 with his/her finger or the like, the one point onthe battle game screen 900 specified with the tapping operation may beidentified as a specified position 904. The specified position 904 maybe an example of a first position.

FIG. 9B illustrates an example of a battle game screen 910 after thetapping operation.

Referring to FIG. 9B, an own character 911, a battle game space within acertain range around the own character 911, an enemy character 912existing in the battle game space within the certain range, a gauge 913,and so on may be displayed on the battle game screen 910, as on thebattle game screen 900 in FIG. 9A. A guide graphic A based on aspecified position 914 may be displayed on the battle game screen 910only during a certain period (for example, for three seconds). Thespecified position 914 may be the same position as the specifiedposition 904 in FIG. 9A.

FIG. 10A is a schematic diagram for describing an example of the guidegraphic A.

Referring to FIG. 10A, the guide graphic A may be composed of a circulargraphic A1 defining an circular area B1 around the specified position, afirst line graphic A2 positioned on a first straight line through thespecified position, and a second line graphic A3 positioned on a secondstraight line through the specified position. The first straight linefrom the specified position may form a first angle with a certain axis Cand the second straight line from the specified position may form asecond angle with the certain axis C. An angle A4 may be an anglebetween the first straight line and the second straight line with anapex of the specified position (a difference angle between the firstangle and the second angle). The angle A4 may be an example of a certainangle.

The battle game screen 900 may be divided into the circular area B1, afirst angle area B2, and a second angle area B3 with the circulargraphic A1, the first line graphic A2, and the second line graphic A3.The first angle area B2 is an area having the angle A4 and the secondangle area B3 is an area excluding the circular area B1 and the firstangle area B2.

FIG. 10B illustrates an example of a battle game screen 1000, which istapped on while the guide graphic A is being displayed.

Referring to FIG. 10B, an own character 1001, a battle game space withina certain range around the own character 1001, an enemy character 1002existing in the battle game space within the certain range, a gauge1003, and the guide graphic A may be displayed on the battle game screen1000, as on the battle game screen 910 illustrated in FIG. 9B.

The battle game screen 1000 may be divided into the circular area B1,the first angle area B2, and the second angle area B3 with the guidegraphic A. Instructions to input different actions may be associatedwith the circular area B1, the first angle area B2, and the second anglearea B3. For example, an instruction to input the attack may beassociated with the circular area B1, an instruction to input the skillactivation may be associated with the first angle area B2, and aninstruction to input the defense may be associated with the second anglearea B3.

When the own player taps on any of the circular area B1, the first anglearea B2, and the second angle area B3 while the guide graphic A is beingdisplayed, input of the action associated with the area including aspecified position 1004 on the battle game screen 1000, which isspecified with the tapping operation, may be conveyed as an instruction,and the action input conveyed in the instruction may be performed. Sincethe specified position 1004 is included in the first angle area B2 inthe example illustrated in FIG. 10B, input of the skill activationassociated with the first angle area B2 may be conveyed as aninstruction. The specified position 1004 is an example of a secondposition. As described above, since input of the skill activation isconveyed as an instruction on the basis of the relative relationshipbetween the first position (for example, the specified position 904 inFIG. 9A) and the second position (for example, the specified position1004 in FIG. 10B), it is possible to activate the skill with anintuitive and simple operation.

Turning now to exemplary FIG. 11, FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplaryschematic configuration of a mobile terminal 20, which instructs inputof the skill on the basis of the position specification. The samereference numerals are used in FIG. 11 to identify the same componentsin the mobile terminal 2 illustrated in FIG. 3. A description of suchcomponents is omitted herein.

Referring to FIG. 11, the mobile terminal 20 may include the terminalcommunication unit 21, the terminal storage unit 22, the operation unit23, the display unit 24, and a terminal processing unit 250. Theterminal processing unit 250 may at least include the battle gameexecution portion 251, the accumulation portion 252, the cooperationportion 253, the activation portion 254, and an input processing portion255. The function of the input processing portion 255 will now bedescribed. According to an exemplary embodiment, the battle gameexecution portion 251, the accumulation portion 252, the cooperationportion 253, and the activation portion 254 may be the same as thoseillustrated in FIG. 3; as such, a detailed description of the battlegame execution portion 251, the accumulation portion 252, thecooperation portion 253, and the activation portion 254 is omittedherein.

In response to a tapping operation by the own player with the operationunit 23 composed of a pointing device, such as a touch panel, the inputprocessing portion 255 may identify the specified position on the battlegame screen specified with the tapping operation and may perform theaction based on the identified specified position.

FIG. 12 is an exemplary flowchart of an input instruction process by theinput processing portion 255.

Referring to FIG. 12, in Step S301, the input processing portion 255 mayidentify the specified position on the battle game screen, which may bespecified by the tapping operation of the own player with the operationunit 23. In Step S302, the input processing portion 255 may determinewhether a guide graphic is being displayed on the battle game screen.

If the input processing portion 255 determines that no guide graphic isbeing displayed on the battle game screen (NO in Step S302), in StepS303, the input processing portion 255 may select the attack as theaction of the own character and may perform the attack. Then, theprocess goes to Step S308.

If the input processing portion 255 determines that a guide graphic isbeing displayed on the battle game screen (YES in Step S302), in StepS304, the input processing portion 255 may determine whether thespecified position identified in Step S301 is included in the circulararea.

If the input processing portion 255 determines that the specifiedposition is included in the circular area (YES in Step S304), theprocess may go to Step S303. If the input processing portion 255determines that the specified position is not included in the circulararea (NO in Step S304), in Step S305, the input processing portion 255may determine whether the specified position identified in Step S301 isincluded in the first angle area.

If the input processing portion 255 determines that the specifiedposition is included in the first angle area (YES in Step S305), in StepS306, the input processing portion 255 may select the skill activationas the action of the own character. Then, the process may go to StepS308. If the input processing portion 255 determines that the specifiedposition is not included in the first angle area (NO in Step S305), inStep S307, the input processing portion 255 may select the defense asthe action of the own character. Then, the process goes to Step S308.

Then, the input processing portion 255 may delete the guide graphic whenthe guide graphic is being displayed. In Step S308, the input processingportion 255 may create a guide graphic based on the specified positionidentified in Step S301 and may display the created guide graphic on thebattle game screen. Then, the process illustrated in FIG. 12 may beterminated.

As described above, in the game system 1 in the present embodiment, theplayer is capable of simply instructing input of the next multipleactions on the basis of the latest tapping operation. Accordingly, sincethe player is capable of performing the input instruction intuitivelywithout confirming the user interface for operation input, theuser-friendliness of the battle game may be improved.

Associating the action, such as the attack, requiring the continuousoperation (barrage) with the circular area B1 around the specifiedposition may allow the continuous operation to be performed while theguide graphic is being displayed, which may thereby improve theuser-friendliness of the battle game. The number of angle areas dividedwith the guide graphic A may be increased.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for describing another example of theguide graphic A.

Referring now to FIG. 13, the guide graphic A may be composed of thecircular graphic A1 defining the circular area B1 around the specifiedposition, the first line graphic A2 positioned on the first straightline through the specified position, the second line graphic A3positioned on the second straight line through the specified position, athird line graphic A4 positioned on a third straight line through thespecified position, and a fourth line graphic A5 positioned on a fourthstraight line through the specified position. The battle game screen maybe divided into the circular area B1, the first angle area B2, thesecond angle area B3, a third angle area B4, and a fourth angle area B5with the circular graphic A1, the first line graphic A2, the second linegraphic A3, the third line graphic A4, and the fourth line graphic A5.The first angle area B2 may be an area having an angle A6, the secondangle area B3 may be an area having an angle A7, the third angle area B4may be an area having an angle A8, and the fourth angle area B5 may bean area excluding the circular area B1, the first angle area B2, thesecond angle area B3, and the third angle area B4. Since the number ofthe angle areas is capable of being appropriately increased in the abovemanner even when the number of the actions associated with the angleareas is increased, the user-friendliness of the battle game may beimproved.

The input processing portion 255 may vary the magnitudes of the anglesA6 to A8 depending on the state of the character of the player. Forexample, the input processing portion 255 may increase the angle A6 withthe increasing amount of the MP of the character of the player when theinstruction to input the skill activation is associated with the firstangle area B2. In this case, the first angle area B2 may be reduced withthe decreasing amount of the MP to prevent erroneous activation of theskill consuming the MP. For example, the input processing portion 255may increase the angle A7 with the decreasing amount of the HP of thecharacter of the player when the instruction to input the defense isassociated with the second angle area B3. In this case, since the secondangle area B3 may be increased with the decreasing amount of the HP, itmay be possible to facilitate selection of the defense behavior, whichsuppresses the decrease in the HP caused by the attack from thecharacter which each character is to fight with when the amount of theHP is small, and to prevent erroneous input of an action other than thedefense behavior.

The input processing portion 255 may vary the size of each areadepending on the operation history of the player. For example, when theinstruction to input the attack requiring the continuous operation(barrage) is associated with the circular area B1, the input processingportion 255 may increase the size of the circular area B1 if the numberof times of the barrage for the latest three seconds exceeds apredetermined number of times. This prevents erroneous input of thebarrage by the player.

When the multiple actions to be associated with the respective areas inthe guide graphic A has a hierarchical data structure, such as a treestructure, the input processing portion 255 may perform the inputinstruction process in which the guide graphic is used stepwise. Aninput instruction process in which the guide graphic is used stepwisewill now be described.

FIG. 14A is a schematic diagram for describing exemplary multipleactions having the hierarchical data structure. For example, largecategories that may classify an action as a skill, an attack, a defense,and so on may be set as a high hierarchy. Middle categories to classifythe skill into an offensive skill, a defensive skill, and so on may beset as a middle hierarchy. Small categories to classify the offensiveskill into a fire-attribute skill, a water-attribute skill, and so onmay be set as a low hierarchy. Each small category in the low hierarchymay be an action input of which is to be instructed.

FIG. 14B is a schematic diagram for describing an example of the inputinstruction process in which the guide graphic is used stepwise. In theguide graphic A, the battle game screen may be divided into the circulararea B1 around the first specified position, the first angle area B2,the second angle area B3, and the third angle area B4. For example, thefirst angle area B2 may be associated with the “skill”, among the largecategories in the high hierarchy, and the second angle area B3 may beassociated with the “attack”, among the large categories in the highhierarchy.

Still referring to FIG. 14B, a guide graphic A-1 may be displayed whenthe own player taps on the first angle area B2 while the guide graphic Ais being displayed. In the guide graphic A-1, the battle game screen maybe divided into a circular area B1-1 around the second specifiedposition, a first angle area B2-1, a second angle area B3-1, and a thirdangle area B4-1. For example, the first angle area B2-1 may beassociated with the “offensive skill”, among the middle categories inthe middle hierarchy, and the second angle area B3-1 may be associatedwith the “defensive skill”, among the middle categories in the middlehierarchy.

A guide graphic A-2 may be displayed when the own player taps on thefirst angle area B2-1 while the guide graphic A-1 is being displayed. Inthe guide graphic A-2, the battle game screen is divided into a circulararea B1-2 around the third specified position, a first angle area B2-2,a second angle area B3-2, and a third angle area B4-2. For example, thefirst angle area B2-2 may be associated with the “fire-attribute skill”,among the small categories in the low hierarchy, and the second anglearea B3-2 may be associated with the “water-attribute skill”, among thesmall categories in the low hierarchy.

Upon tapping on of the first angle area B2-2 by the own player while theguide graphic A-2 is being displayed, the “fire-attribute skill” may beactivated.

Use of the input instruction process in which the guide graphic is usedstepwise allows the items having the hierarchical data structure to besimply selected only with the tapping operation. The input instructionprocess in which the guide graphic is used stepwise may not be limitedto the instruction to input the action. For example, the inputinstruction process in which the guide graphic is used stepwise may beused in a case in which menus are hierarchically selected. The inputinstruction process in which the guide graphic is used stepwise may beused in any field other than the game field as long as items having thehierarchical data structure are selected.

While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been describedabove, it will be recognized and understood that various modificationscan be made in the invention and the appended claims are intended tocover all such modifications which may fall within the spirit and scopeof the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer program product embodied on anon-transitory computer readable medium, comprising code executable by acomputer arranged to operate a computer game, the computer having atleast a processor, a storage unit, and a display screen configured toprovide a graphical user interface, to cause the computer to carry outthe following steps: receiving, on the graphical user interface, a firstinput instruction designating a first position on the graphical userinterface; displaying, on the graphical user interface, a guide graphic,the guide graphic comprising a plurality of line graphics originatingfrom the first position and forming a predetermined angle, wherein afirst area is interior to the predetermined angle; and receiving, on thegraphical user interface, a first area input instruction provided withinthe first area, and executing a first action to be performed by thecharacter of the player when the first area input instruction isreceived within the first area.
 2. The computer program product of claim1, wherein the guide graphic further comprises a second area centered onthe first position; and wherein the computer program product furthercauses the computer to carry out the step of: receiving, on thegraphical user interface, a second area input instruction providedwithin the second area, and executing a second action to be performed bythe character of the player when the second area input instruction isreceived within the second area.
 3. The computer program product ofclaim 1, wherein the step of displaying the guide graphic comprises:displaying the guide graphic for a predetermined time period, and, uponexpiration of the predetermined time period, ending the display of theguide graphic; and wherein the computer program product further causesthe computer to carry out the steps of: receiving, on the graphical userinterface, a second input instruction designating a second position onthe graphical user interface, wherein the second position is differentfrom the first position; and displaying, on the graphical userinterface, the guide graphic, the guide graphic comprising the pluralityof line graphics originating from the second position.
 4. The computerprogram product of claim 2, wherein the computer program product furthercauses the computer to carry out the steps of: receiving, on thegraphical user interface, a plurality of second area input instructionsprovided within the second area; determining if a number of theplurality of second area input instructions exceeds a predeterminednumber; and when the number of the plurality of second area inputinstructions exceeds the predetermined number, adjusting a size of thesecond area.
 5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein thecomputer program product further causes the computer to carry out thesteps of: determining a parameter associated with a state of thecharacter; and setting a size of the predetermined angle based on avalue of the parameter.
 6. The computer program product of claim 5,wherein the step of executing the first action further comprises:decrementing the parameter associated with the state of the character;and adjusting the size of the predetermined angle.
 7. The computerprogram product of claim 1, wherein the guide graphic further comprisesa third area, wherein the plurality of line graphics of the guidegraphic originating from the first position further form a secondpredetermined angle, wherein the third area is interior to the secondpredetermined angle; and wherein the computer program product furthercauses the computer to carry out the steps of: receiving, on thegraphical user interface, a third area input instruction provided withinthe third area, and executing a third action to be performed by thecharacter of the player when the third area input instruction isreceived within the third area.
 8. The computer program product of claim1, wherein the computer program product further causes the computer tocarry out the steps of: receiving the first area input instructionprovided within the first area, and displaying a plurality of areasassociated with the first area, each of the plurality of areasassociated with a different first action to be performed by thecharacter of the player; receiving, on the graphical user interface, afirst action selection instruction provided within one of the pluralityof areas associated with the first area; and executing the first actionto be performed by the character of the player based on the first actionselection instruction.
 9. A computer-implemented method, comprisingexecuting on a computer having at least a processor, a storage unit, anda display screen configured to provide a graphical user interface, thefollowing steps: receiving, on the graphical user interface, a firstinput instruction designating a first position on the graphical userinterface; displaying, on the graphical user interface, a guide graphic,the guide graphic comprising a plurality of line graphics originatingfrom the first position and forming a predetermined angle, wherein afirst area is interior to the predetermined angle; and receiving, on thegraphical user interface, a first area input instruction provided withinthe first area, and executing a first action to be performed by thecharacter of the player when the first area input instruction isreceived within the first area.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein theguide graphic further comprises a second area centered on the firstposition; and wherein the method further comprises the step of:receiving, on the graphical user interface, a second area inputinstruction provided within the second area, and executing a secondaction to be performed by the character of the player when the secondarea input instruction is received within the second area.
 11. Themethod of claim 9, wherein the step of displaying the guide graphiccomprises: displaying the guide graphic for a predetermined time period,and, upon expiration of the predetermined time period, ending thedisplay of the guide graphic; and wherein the method further comprises:receiving, on the graphical user interface, a second input instructiondesignating a second position on the graphical user interface, whereinthe second position is different from the first position; anddisplaying, on the graphical user interface, the guide graphic, theguide graphic comprising the plurality of line graphics originating fromthe second position.
 12. The method of claim 9, further comprising thesteps of: determining a parameter associated with a state of thecharacter; and setting a size of the predetermined angle based on avalue of the parameter.
 13. The method of claim 9, wherein the guidegraphic further comprises a third area, wherein the plurality of linegraphics of the guide graphic originating from the first positionfurther form a second predetermined angle, wherein the third area isinterior to the second predetermined angle; and wherein the methodfurther comprises the steps of: receiving, on the graphical userinterface, a third area input instruction provided within the thirdarea, and executing a third action to be performed by the character ofthe player when the third area input instruction is received within thethird area.
 14. The method of claim 9, wherein the method furthercomprises the steps of: receiving the first area input instructionprovided within the first area, and displaying a plurality of areasassociated with the first area, each of the plurality of areasassociated with a different first action to be performed by thecharacter of the player; receiving, on the graphical user interface, afirst action selection instruction provided within one of the pluralityof areas associated with the first area; and executing the first actionto be performed by the character of the player based on the first actionselection instruction.
 15. An information processing apparatusconfigured to provide a game, wherein the information processingapparatus comprises: an input processing unit configured to receive aninput instruction designating a first position; and a display unitconfigured to display a guide graphic comprising a plurality of linegraphics originating from the first position and forming a predeterminedangle, wherein a first area is interior to the predetermined angle; andwherein the input processing unit is further configured to receive afirst area input instruction provided within the first area, and executea first action to be performed by the character of the player when thefirst area input instruction is received within the first area.
 16. Theinformation processing apparatus of claim 15, wherein the guide graphicfurther comprises a second area centered on the first position; andwherein the input processing unit is further configured to receive asecond area input instruction provided within the second area, andexecute a second action to be performed by the character of the playerwhen the second area input instruction is received within the secondarea.
 17. The information processing apparatus of claim 15, wherein thedisplay unit is configured to display the guide graphic for apredetermined time period, and, upon expiration of the predeterminedtime period, end the display of the guide graphic; wherein the inputprocessing unit is further configured to receive a second inputinstruction designating a second position on the graphical userinterface, wherein the second position is different from the firstposition; and wherein the display unit is configured to display theguide graphic, the guide graphic comprising the plurality of linegraphics originating from the second position.
 18. The informationprocessing apparatus of claim 15, wherein the information processingapparatus is further configured to: determine a parameter associatedwith a state of the character; and set a size of the predetermined anglebased on a value of the parameter.
 19. The information processingapparatus of claim 15, wherein the guide graphic further comprises athird area, wherein the plurality of line graphics of the guide graphicoriginating from the first position further form a second predeterminedangle, wherein the third area is interior to the second predeterminedangle; and wherein the input processing unit is further configured toreceive a third area input instruction provided within the third area,and execute a third action to be performed by the character of theplayer when the third area input instruction is received within thethird area.
 20. The information processing apparatus of claim 15,wherein the input processing unit is further configured to receive thefirst area input instruction provided within the first area, wherein thedisplay unit is further configured to display a plurality of areasassociated with the first area, each of the plurality of areasassociated with a different first action to be performed by thecharacter of the player; and wherein the input processing unit isfurther configured to receive a first action selection instructionprovided within one of the plurality of areas associated with the firstarea, and execute the first action to be performed by the character ofthe player based on the first action selection instruction.